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Resident Evil 5 has been quite the controversial game of late. First, the demo being out in Japan months before everyone else got it, despite said demo having English text. Then it was the brouhaha over the completely unaltered control scheme. Now it's the pay-to-play VS modes.

Resident Evil versus mode.

Okay, I don't know many things, and much of the world is odd to me, but why does anyone even want a versus mode in this of all games? I don't know about you, but it seems like something painfully stapled on at the last minute, as the very idea of death matches with controls virtually unaltered from Resident Evil 4 lacks appeal to me, especially in the face of far better shooters for multiplayer including Gears of War, Call of Duty and Killzone 2. Not only that, but who the hell buys Resident Evil and wishes they could play against others? The co-op I can kind of understand, certainly, but versus? Just sounds like it'd be stupidly frustrating.

However, the reason why I'm writing this is to respond to the apparent outrage over the fact that this is going to cost five bucks (400 MS points). It seems like a lot of money, and it most certainly is for something as tacked on as this. However, the irrational reactions of some just strike me as curious, particularly those who say they're going to boycott Resident Evil 5 over this. The reaction here just strikes me as wholly immature. Why the hell would you not buy a game that, by all accounts is pretty good, simply because of a stupid piece of DLC. That'd be like not buying Street Fighter IV because Capcom put out the costume packs. Rather than show a dissatisfaction with the DLC, you're really showing a disinterest in the game, which serves no one. The best way to deal with this is to pretend the DLC isn't there. That's what I've done since this generation began. I've bought no skins, cars, costumes, picture packs, or any other stupid items that have been thrown at the two marketplaces, simply because I don't want or need them. And you know what? I've never had a problem, and have enjoyed my games regardless.

In other words, spend wisely.

Tomorrow, I'll continue my normal game blogging, and talk about the issues on my mind in the industry. However, today, I'd like to say Congratulations to the 44th President of the United States of America, Barak Hussein Obama. I can't speak for all America, but I think many would agree that this is a historic moment, and a sign that, no matter how hard the road seems, it gets better.

Congratulations, Mr. President.

Wanna see the inauguration speech? Click here.

1983.

The year gaming died.

I don't think I need to remind anyone old enough to remember the Atari 2600 how horrifying that year was. A glut of unchecked shovel ware led to massive consumer confusion. Eventually, people just stopped playing. Arcades went dark, stores were slashing prices on their remaining video games, and a large number of companies died a horrible death. Before 1983, an investor could get filthy rich off Atari Games stock. Those riches went away, along with any vestige of the company we remember (the company calling itself Atari now is actually a subsidiary of French publisher Infogrames). The industry only returned to relevance in 1985, when the NES started gaining popularity.

Unfortunately, history has a horrible way of repeating itself.

2008.

The Nintendo Wii is undeniably the hottest selling console today. Nintendo has proven unable to stop rubbing it in everyone's faces. Iwata must be sore from beating his chest so damned much. Their arrogance is frighteningly like that of Atari leading up to the fateful year. However, the hardware success has not translated into broad industry growth. 3rd parties like Electronic Arts have found the Wii a tough nut to crack, with thoughtfully designed games like Boom Blox, Medal of Honor Heroes 2 and the All Play sports series failing to register with Wii owners. Indeed, a game isn't going to get anywhere on the Wii unless it stars Nintendo's mascots, is pitched as a self-improvement tool Most Wii Fit users have NO interest in video games at all) or comes with an accessory (let's be honest here, the only reason people buy Wii Play is because it's only $10 more than a remote by itself). As a result, the quality of games on the platform has taken a precipitous nosedive as more and more 3rd parties realize that there's no real way to make Nintendo level money on the Wii and content themselves with a 60k or so sales of shovelware to get that last cash push before the company's main titles come out on the 360 and PS3. The only upcoming 3rd party games that really have a shot in hell of being good are No More Heroes 2, The Conduit and Madworld, and considering how poorly NMH1 sold (especially in Japan and the US), I doubt these games will be rewarded for the effort with retail success.

I can't help but keep thinking about what happened in 1983 when I think about present-day Nintendo. They're so isolated from the rest of the gaming industry, unable or unwilling to address the ever-growing pile of shovel ware that would put the E.T. Landfill to shame, and providing no evidence that their success is anything other than a boom, like the industry was experiencing in 1982. It's the same reckless irresponsibility that destroyed many .com businesses at 2000 and the housing market just two years ago. Rather than focus on making a sustainable growth, Nintendo seems content to ride the boom, unaware of the bust that is on the horizon.

Not that I'm rooting. Not even close. The 1983 video game industry crash, the 2000 .com bust and the recent housing bust – chiefly responsible for the current economic crisis,but that's another blog post – were all preceded by runaway growth. If trends continue, and the complete lack of foresight at the big N suggests that it will, we're in for a massive bust sooner than later, one that, like Atari's, will take huge swaths of the gaming industry with it. Go back to that Kotaku article I linked toward the beginning of this post. Look at the chart. It's no secret that most of Nintendo's money is coming from hardware. At any moment, the boom they're experiencing can end, and that 1% suddenly becomes the 99%. That's when we see layoffs and collapsing companies that make the recent loss of Free Radical seem minor.

I could go on all night, but I think I've made my point. Nintendo isn't growing anything – They're in a boom, and the bust that comes after this boom could be tragic.

Of course, I could be over exaggerating. Perhaps Nintendo's eventual implosion will be more like 3dfx, a company who's failure only affected itself and left plenty of room for more competent companies to fill the void. However, I just can't help but feel we're staring down the edge of the Grand Canyon, just waiting to fall.

As Samual L. Jackson said in Jurassic Park: hold onto your butts.